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Field Trips www.morrisarboretum.org/learn-discover/educators/field-trips

Field Trips Field Trips Image Field Trips & Youth Tours  Please note: At least 3 weeks advance notice is needed for guided tours. Email  tours@morrisarboretum.org  to schedule an outdoor educational experience to enhance your students at home or hybrid school instruction.  Choose from the following field trip tours:  General Tour (All Ages)  Duration: 60 minutes  Explore our 92-acre living museum  See the tree highlights  Learn about the Arboretum’s history  Meets PA Academic Standards:  3.3 Biological Sciences, 4.6 Ecosystems and Their Interactions  What Tree Am I? Tour (3rd Grade and up)  Duration: 60 minutes  Morris Arboretum is home to some of the oldest, rarest and largest trees in Philadelphia  Take a closer look to discover the amazing variety of the trees around us  Examine the unique characteristics of trees and discover which tree you are most like  Meets PA Academic Standards:  3.3 Biological Sciences, 4.6 Ecosystems and Their Interactions  Scout Tour (All Ages)  Duration: 60 minutes  Morris Arboretum provides the perfect resource to help complete many nature-themed Boy and Girl Scout badge requirements, including Forestry, Nature, Flowers, Trees, and more.  When scheduling your tour, please feel free to include your particular project needs. We’ll be happy to tailor our many tours and activities to help fulfill specific badge requirements, making your trip to Morris Arboretum both fun and productive.  Scout groups with tour reservations will receive the Morris Arboretum Fun Patch!  4 Seasons Through the 5 Senses Tour (PreK through Kindergarten)  Duration: 60 minutes  Take a sensory journey through the Arboretum  Learn the natural characteristics of each season  Collect plant material to bring back to the classroom  Meets PA Academic Standards:  3.3 Biological Sciences  Tree Adventure Tour I (K - 3rd Grade)  Duration: 60 minutes  Learn responsibility from a tree  Leaves are responsible for producing food  Bark is responsible for protecting the trunk  …

Urban Forestry Fellow Attends Sustainable Forestry Initiative Conference as a Youth Delegate www.morrisarboretum.org/blog/sustainable-forestry-initiative-conference

Urban Forestry Fellow Attends Sustainable Forestry Initiative Conference as a Youth Delegate This past June, Matt Walker, the Martha S. Miller and Rusty Miller Urban Forestry Fellow, attended the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s (SFI) annual conference in Atlanta as a youth delegate. This past June I had the unique and profound experience of attending the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s (SFI) annual conference in Atlanta as a youth delegate. Among the 49 other youth delegates there were students and young professionals from many varied backgrounds. Hailing from all over the United States and Canada, they were each dedicated to taking care of the world’s forests. I was eager to meet the cohort and start the conference. SFI’s mission is to “advance sustainability through forest-focused collaboration.” The extremely passionate people at SFI do fantastic work in areas critical to forest sustainability such as creating forestry standards, conducting research, strengthening community, and educating people about the importance of trees and forests. Their annual conference reflects the collaborative nature of the organization, with representation from logging companies, forest scientists, conservationists, Indigenous leaders, and, of course, the youth delegation. Image SFI’s new strategic direction is guided by Standards, Conservation, Community, and Education. We were greeted in Atlanta by SFI staff dedicated to advancing green careers. Before the conference began, we were guided through sessions that taught us networking skills and gave us the confidence to reach out to people at the conference to advance our careers. Delegates were also assigned mentors, who were professionals in various fields of forestry, to help us make connections with their colleagues. With these new skills, and a fresh stack of personalized business cards made for us, we were released to the conference. As much as conferences are about learning the newest research, technology, and tree …

Birds as Artistic Muse www.morrisarboretum.org/blog/birds-artistic-muse

Birds as Artistic Muse Longtime members and frequent birders Ken Januski and Jerene Schroeder say the Morris is inspiration for art. Image Since 1998, Ken Januski and Jerene Schroeder have been members and frequent birders at the Morris. Their birding journey has strong roots here, offering them  some of their first major sightings as well as inspiration for Ken’s nature-based artwork. Now, twenty-six years later, Ken is ranked as Morris’s top birder on eBird , having seen 160 species in the Gardens so far. But Ken and Jerene aren’t in it for the numbers. The married couple realized the potential of birding at the Morris when, during a visit to the now defunct plant sale, they heard the call of yellow-throated vireos in the trees. They soon started birding at the Morris twice a week, and years later they even volunteered to monitor the bluebird boxes at Bloomfield Farm. One reason the couple enjoys birding at the Morris is the variety and vastness of the Natural Areas . Ken often brings his spotting scope, which needs a lot of space, and he found he could comfortably set up in the Wetland . The scope not only offers a more magnified view than binoculars, but it also enables an artist to watch birds with two free hands to draw. “A lot of my education about birds occurred from drawing them at the Morris,” says Ken. “Most people don’t work that way—they work from photographs, but you miss so much in photographs. Plus, there’s not the thrill.” Image American Goldfinch Eating Thistle, Multi-block Woodcut, 2014. By Ken Januski. Image Green Heron with Twelve-spotted Skimmer, Reduction Linocut, 2013. By Ken Januski.                     Ken started his art career as an abstract painter, receiving an MA from Berkeley and an MFA from Cornell in Studio Art. He got disenchanted with the contemporary art world in the early 1990s, when too much verbiage began accompanying artwork. He began looking toward nature, and when him and Jerene joined as Morris members, the world of birds …

The Pennsylvania Bee Monitoring Program at the Morris Arboretum www.morrisarboretum.org/blog/pennsylvania-bee-monitoring-program-morris-arboretum

The Pennsylvania Bee Monitoring Program at the Morris Arboretum Have you noticed a blue vane trap hanging around the Morris Arboretum? It's part of the Pennsylvania Bee Monitoring Program, which studies regional bee variance across the state. Image A pinned sunflower bee (Svastra obliqua). Credit: Ryan Drake Have you noticed a blue vane trap hanging around the Morris Arboretum? It's part of the  Pennsylvania Bee Monitoring Program , which studies regional bee variance across the state. The decline in populations worldwide has called attention to better understand the variation, distribution, and abundance of wild bee pollinators. The bee monitoring program uses three different trapping techniques in order to catch the widest variety of bee species. The blue vane trap hangs two to three feet from the ground, attracting bees with its bright blue color. Nine plastic bowls painted either white, blue, or yellow are laid on the ground in a transect, closer to the populations of ground nesting bees, which make up over 70% of Pennsylvania's bee populations. The final trapping technique is netting, where monitors use butterfly nets to catch any other unique bees they can find in the area. These techniques combined aim to allow monitors to observe the fullest range of wild bee species in an area so they can track changes in population sizes and variety in Pennsylvania. Image The blue vane trap hangs two to three feet from the ground, attracting bees with its bright blue color. Image The final trapping technique is netting, where monitors use butterfly nets to catch any other unique bees they can find in the area. Shown here is Caroline Mertz, the Hay Honey Farm Natural Areas Intern. Image Sorting and identifying collected bees. Image Pinning bees. Image Long-horned bee (Melissodes denticulatus, female). 1 / PREV NEXT Caroline Mertz Ryan Drake Blog Image September 7, …

Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs www.morrisarboretum.org/see-do/exhibitions/summer-dinos/plants-age-dinosaurs

Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs Image Image In  Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs —a new self-guided exhibition that runs from Saturday, May 25, 2024 through Monday, September 30, 2024—visitors will learn more about the plants in our collection with roots that go back to prehistoric times.  Ever wonder what you might have in common with a dinosaur?    If you answered that you both need plants to survive, you’d be right! Vegetation powered the dinosaurs that roamed the earth millions of years ago. Plants have evolved quite a bit since then, but their all-important role supporting life on earth remains the same.    Join Morris Arboretum & Gardens as we travel back to the Mesozoic era, a time 252 to 66 million years ago (MYA) that saw the dominance of reptiles and conifers, the rise of dinosaurs, and the emergence of flowering plants.    EQUIP yourself with a themed map and scavenger hunt from the Gift Shop—can you spot the dinosaurs hiding among the plants?    ADVENTURE to 10 special garden sites that uncover the wonders of prehistory.   EXPLORE our website for dino-themed events happening all year!    Exhibition Highlights When Conifers Were King The major plant in the early Mesozoic landscape, conifers (cone bearing plants like pine or spruce) dominated the landscape millions of years before flowering plants came on the scene. Palms in the Fossil Record Palm fossils date back to 145 million years ago. Some fossil beds contain palm fossils alongside baby dinosaur fossils which help scientists understand how they may have lived. The Rise of Flowers About 140 million years ago, flowering plants evolved during the last Jurassic period. They dramatically changed the Earth's landscape and became part of the HUGE boom in number and types of dinosaurs.  Poop Paleontology Fossilized dino poop (coprolites) and gut content (cololites) help tell the story of what plants dinosaurs ate and how they ate them. Ginkgo Biloba: A “Living Fossil” Ginkgo …

Events

Metal sheep sculpture on a green lawn surrounded by magnolia trees in bloom with pink flowers.

Natural Cycles, Family Rituals

Saturday, March 29 •
10 am
Morris Arboretum & Gardens
Registration is required.
Register Today
Saturday, March 22 • 10 am – 12 pm
with Jude Thachet, School Outreach Coordinator, Morris Arboretum & Gardens
Members: $25 • Non-members: $30

Many of us want to build strong bonds and create lasting memories in our families, but how? Looking to the natural world can help us create small rituals that connect to something larger and foster a sense of belonging. Program leader Jude Thachet, for example, travels with her family to Bombay Hook Wildlife Refuge every Black Friday to see the snow geese in migration. It is less commercial than the mall and is an expression of what her family values: fun, the outdoors, being together.  

For this workshop, we’ll use the spring equinox to explore how we might create family traditions that remind us of our connection to nature and our intentions for each other. We don’t all have to take an annual road trip to the middle of Delaware, but we can all think about our family’s values and how we want to express them!

Jude, from Morris’s Education Department, will lead participants through a fun and joyful process of identifying what’s important in your family, connecting those values to nature, and developing simple but intentional ways to enact and embody them. After some guided and playful exploration and discussion, the group will engage in an activity planting a living basket that can be used as a focal point for your family’s celebrations. It will grow and change with the seasons and reflect your unique family identity. This program is for adults only.

Check out the Spring 2025 Course Catalog for more courses →

Events

A yellow butterfly on top of blue flowers.

Gardening for Native Wildlife

Wednesday, June 18 •
6 pm
Registration is required
Register Today
Wednesday, June 18 • 6 – 7:30 pm  
Mitch Roberge, Horticulturist & Artist
Members: $30 • Non-members: $35

Learn how to create a welcoming environment for native wildlife in your garden in this informational seminar. Participants will learn what plants attract different species, and how to cultivate shelter and nesting sites for all walks of the animal kingdom. From birds and butterflies to snakes and toads—we will discuss them all! You will leave feeling empowered to transform your garden into a sanctuary for native wildlife, enhancing biodiversity and contributing to environmental conservation in your community. Whether you have a small urban garden or a larger rural property, this class will provide you with the tools to create a beautiful space that nurtures both plants and animals. Registration is required.

Events

A Yellow and black butterfly perched on a small sunflower.

Native Plants & Pollinators Tour at The Discovery Center

Saturday, June 21 •
10 AM
The Discover Center
Registration is required
Register Today
Saturday, June 1 • 10 am – 12 pm  
Damien Ruffner, Program Manager for Urban Conservation, Audubon Pennsylvania  
Members: $30 • Non-members: $35

Join Audubon Mid-Atlantic at the Discovery Center for a native plant tour. We will be guided through the property to see the native plants, smell the native flowers, and look for our native pollinators that call the Discovery Center home. This tour will also look into future plans of site care at the Discovery Center and look at invasive species of plants they are trying to eradicate. The tour will take us on a 1.5 mile walk around the reservoir—wear good walking shoes! Registration is required.